Tag Archives: Toby the Puppy

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Kitty is finding her way

I just cannot let an incident that occurred last night go without a brief comment here.

You know about the change in my life with my son arriving from Amarillo and moving with me into my North Texas home. He brought two cats with him, Macy and Marlowe, siblings he has had since they were, well, much younger.

We have avoided a major confrontation with Toby the Puppy. The kitties have hit their stride, as has Toby the Puppy. They keep their distance from each other. All is good.

Well, about midnight I was sound asleep. Toby had slipped into his kennel, which he does on occasion.

Without warning, Macy — the female kitty — jumped onto my bed and began nuzzling me. She meowed and snuggled and wanted to be scratched, stroked. It was the first prolonged contact I had with either of them.

This went on for about an hour. So help me, I was thrilled beyond belief to have Macy warm up to me in that fashion.

Marlowe remains a bit of a work in progress. He stays away most of the time. He’ll come around, too … eventually.

But this new era of pet relationships is taking a heartwarming turn.

I just had to share …

johnkanelis_92@hotmail.com

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Puppy Tales, Part 101: New roommates

Let it never be said that Toby the Puppy cannot learn to adapt.

He is doing precisely that as I write these words. You see, he has acquired two fur-baby roomies who now share his house with him. They are Macy and Marlowe, the cats who arrived with my son the other day.

My son moved to Princeton from Amarillo, way up yonder in the Texas Panhandle. He drove the distance with Macy and Marlowe tucked away in their kennels. No problems en route, my son reported.

Then they arrived. Did trouble erupt when they encountered my puppy for the first time? Nothing serious.

Toby let them know immediately that they were in his house.

They scampered into the garage, where they hid for the first few days and nights.

But … the atmosphere is changing daily. They have made eye contact. The kitties, who actually are both very sweet and docile, have looked Toby over, checked him out. He has returned the gaze — and checked them out as well.

I had notified him in advance of their arrival. He didn’t seem overly concerned when he got the word. I trust my son informed his kitties of the change that would greet them as well once they arrived in North Texas.

All told? It’s going to be all right.

Good puppy. Good kitties.

johnkanelis_92@hotmail.com

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Admiration grows for Toby

DRIPPING SPRINGS, Texas — I have developed even more admiration for my buddy, Toby the Puppy, as our monthlong journey through one-third of the United States of America reaches its conclusion.

You know already that he’s a road warrior to the max. I have discovered that he not only loves to travel long distances, but he also maintains enough patience to be loved-on by small children he encounters.

Toby the Puppy and I attended a flag football tonight at Dripping Springs High School. We were there actually to watch my great-niece, Riley, perform as a cheerleader for her middle school team that was playing flag football.

My puppy became a star with the kids in the stands. One little boy, about 5 years of age, asked me if he could pet him; I gave him the OK. He followed Toby the Puppy and me to our seats in the stands.

A little girl, about 2, wanted to pet him, too. Sure thing. Dad was nearby. She was extremely gentle, reminding me a bit of when Toby joined our family and our granddaughter, Emma, was a toddler; Emma loves animals and she handled Toby the Puppy with extreme love and care … which she carries over now that she’s (gulp!) 10 years old.

Our journey ends tomorrow. We shove off from the Hill Country for our house in Collin County. It’s been a marvelous trek for me … for reasons I have detailed already.

The journey that will cover 7,000 miles when it’s all over also filled me with admiration for my companion. Toby the Puppy has helped me along the way in a manner I am trying to figure out.

johnkanelis_92@hotmail.com

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Blog = journal

LA CENTER, Wash. — I have made a command decision on whether I am going to write a “journal” chronicling my progress out of the darkness after my bride’s tragic passing two months ago.

It is that I am writing it already. I have been doing so on this blog. I am doing so at this very moment.

My heart is still broken. It might be irreparably damaged. However, if the docs who treated Kathy Anne for the cancer that claimed her were unable to “control” the tumor, perhaps I can control the pain that tears at my ticker. I will seek to do that with this blog, although I assure you, I won’t write forever about this tragic event in my life.

For as long as I have something to offer, though, I will do so and High Plains Blogger will serve as a journal of sorts for me.

It’s helping me along the way as Toby the Puppy and I continue our lengthy journey.

johnkanelis_92@hotmail.com

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Puppy Intuition: It’s real!

SACRAMENTO, Calif. — I have boasted for many years about the intelligence of my pooch, Toby the Puppy.

Well, today he outdid himself.

We pulled into California’s capital city to stay with my cousin and his wife for a couple of nights before we head to the rainy coast. We have been to this city before; we came here a year ago while my bride and I were pulling our RV.

But we did not venture into my cousin’s neighborhood on that earlier visit; we parked our RV in a park several miles from my cousin’s home. Today, we did.

What is so remarkable about Toby the Puppy is that we were about five minutes away from arriving at my cousin’s home when Toby awoke from his snooze, stood up and began peering out the window, looking for all the world as if he wanted to get out and explore wherever we were going. His tail was wagging. He was prancing around the front seat where he had been sleeping.

He does this very thing when we approach our own neighborhood in Princeton, Texas, or when we’re a couple of turns from driving up to my son’s home in Allen, Texas. He’s ready to get out and dash into his own backyard or is ready to play with my son’s two pooches, Madden and Ryder and, of course, to see our granddaughter, Emma.

Today was a different deal altogether. He seemed to recognize several streets away from my cousin’s home that — by golly! — this is where we are going.

Amazing. I’m tellin’ ya. Simply amazing.

johnkanelis_92@hotmail.com

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Nature gets in the way

VISALIA, Calif. – You’ve heard it said that “It’s not nice to fool Mother Nature.”

Well, my westward journey delivered that truism to me squarely as I drove into what the weathermen and women around the nation keep referring to as the “atmospheric river.”

To be clear, I haven’t slowed or changed my route to the latest stop on Toby the Puppy’s and my trek. However, I had intended while in this central California community to visit one of nature’s grand exhibits, the sentinels that tower above the forest floor in Sequoia National Park.

No … can … do!

The torrents of rain that have fallen on California for the past several weeks have closed Sequoia and nearby Kings Canyon national parks. I called the Sequoia park office today and learned that Kings Canyon would be closed for the remainder of this month and Sequoia will close until mid-April … but that it remain closed long after that.

Dang it!

We were able to visit the Grand Canyon the other day. That was a wonderful period of exploration for Toby the Puppy and me. And after we visit with family in Sacramento and then Santa Cruz, we’ll venture north toward Eureka, Calif., to see more family.

And along the way we hope to see towering redwood timber, providing of course that Mother Nature will enable us to gaze at those trees.

Still, the adventure continues. More to see and enjoy.

Johnkanelis_92@hotmail.com

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Found: the end of the world!

NEEDLES, Calif. — Bum Phillips, the late, great football coach, once told a magazine interviewer that his hometown of Orange, Texas, “wasn’t the end of the world, but if you get up on your tippy toes, you can see it from there.”

Well, Coach Phillips, I believe I have found the end of the world. It is here … in Needles, Calif.

This is the latest stop for Toby the Puppy and me as we trudge our way westward and northward. It’s an overnighter, then we head for the central part of the state, where we intend to gaze skyward at some tall timber at Sequoia National Park.

There really is nothing to see here. The highway west from Needles is among the more desolate stretches of roadway in these United States. The next day’s travel will be — without a doubt — the least scenic leg of this journey. I’ll be looking at mountains, but they will be far, far away.

Family members await in Sacramento, then in Santa Cruz, then on to Eureka, Calif., before heading into Oregon.

Toby the Puppy and I have enjoyed plenty of scenic splendor so far. The Grand Canyon is as gorgeous as it gets anywhere on Planet Earth. The drive into and away from Gallup, N.M., presented plenty of eye-popping visuals as well.

A saving grace about our stop in Needles has been the courtesy extended by the campground hosts where we are spending the night. Indeed, we aren’t strangers to this particular site, as my bride and I came here at least three times before while pulling an RV. It’s all changed, of course.

For now, though, I am enjoying the company of my pooch, who — to my total non-surprise — has proved himself to be the King of Road Warriors. His stamina is astounding, not to mention his ability to “hold it” for as long as he does.

The road ahead awaits my puppy and me, even if much of the next leg will be oh, so lonely.

johnkanelis_92@hotmail.com

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Master of impeccable timing

GRAND CANYON NATIONAL PARK, Ariz. — You can take this declaration straight to the bank, because it is the unvarnished truth.

Which is that I am the undisputed master of impeccable timing.

How do I know that? Because I ventured to one of the nation’s most sensational natural exhibits — the Grand Canyon — and got there just ahead of the massive crowd of tourists that stampeded onto the park grounds after Toby the Puppy and I had arrived.

We had the parking lot in front of the visitors center virtually to ourselves when we pulled in. We parked our truck and began our trek along the south rim of the canyon. The sky was overcast, the weather was cool, but the wind was calm.

We took in the sights of the splendor laid out before us. My puppy got lots of love from some of the kids who were out there with us.

As I looked back at the parking lot, I noticed it was filling up rapidly. The walking path wasn’t — yet! — jammed with other tourists.

We finished our sojourn along the rim after about three hours and headed back to the truck. We exited the park around noon.

I then noticed that the entry gate where I had just driven up, presented my Senior Pass and entered the park was backed up more than a mile with vehicles and their occupants waiting to get into the park.

I chuckled.

I also wished them luck as they waited their turn — and then I wondered if there was any place for them to park once they got in.

The day for Toby and Puppy and me, though, was spectacular … and you can take that to the bank, too.

johnkanelis_92@hotmail.com

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Journey about to begin

Here we are, ladies and gentlemen. A strange, but I hope invigorating journey is about to commence for Toby the Puppy and me.

It’ll take about a month to complete. I want to get a couple of points out of the way.

First is the obvious aspect of the strangeness of this trek I am about to take. It will be the first such journey without my beloved bride, Kathy Anne. She’s been gone now for a little more than a month. I decided several weeks ago to take this trip just to get out of the house.

So, I will do so likely before the sun comes up in the morning. I will see plenty of friends and family along my journey westward. I am not looking forward to being greeted by those who will look at me, well … differently. Kathy Anne and I spent more than 51 years together and we did practically everything together. 

Virtually all of my friends have known me only as one half of a team. My much better half won’t be there when Toby and I show up. You get my drift, yes?

Now … that’s off my chest. I want to stipulate a more important point, which is the way I intend to chronicle this journey. I will not dwell on the intense sadness I continue to feel. Instead, I intend to convey the marvelous discoveries I will make along the way.

The Grand Canyon awaits; yes, I’ve been there already, but its splendor is beyond description. Same for the sequoia forests of California; I’ve never seen the monstrous trees, so I want to share my awe at nature’s towers. The Pacific Coast highway from San Francisco to the Oregon border (weather permitting) will get plenty of attention, too.

The return trip from the Northwest will include a brief leg along the Loneliest Highway in America and will take my puppy and me through Santa Fe and into West Texas.

This blog serves multiple purposes. It serves as a platform for me to vent on politics and policy It also gives me a voice to express personal feelings and the joy of living the dream. If a grand jury indicts a former POTUS, well, I’ll weigh in on that at the right time. Absent that and some other things I might notice on our trip, I am going to devote a lot of cyber space recording the joys of the sights I see, sounds I hear and the people I meet.

So, with that, let’s enjoy the ride together.

johnkanelis_92@hotmail.com

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Puppy Tales, No. 100: He’s good to go!

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This is the face of a very smart pooch, a critter who has developed some amazing intuitive skill. How do I know that? I am about to tell you how.

Toby the Puppy and I are set to take a road trip out west. We’re going to pile into our pickup truck and head northwest from Collin County toward Amarillo, then the Grand Canyon, to the edge of Death Valley, to Sequoia National Park and then to the Pacific Ocean.

We’ll end up in the Pacific Northwest, visiting friends and family along the way. We’ll be gone about a month.

I have told Toby the Puppy the nitty gritty details of the trip. He has looked at me with his large eyes and cocked his head the way puppies do when they are absorbing information.

I asked him if he was ready to “go on a trip in the truck.” His response was classic. He started wagging his tail, pawing my arm with both of his front feet and then jumped into my arms as if to say, “You bet, Dad. I’m all in!”

So, you see … Toby the Puppy is ready to ride. That means, therefore, so am I.

johnkanelis_92@hotmail.com